WWE Legend The Undertaker is Alive

Outline

Brief Analysis

The claim is false. The Undertaker is alive and well. The story originates from the satirical/humour website Empire Sports. Nothing published on the site should be taken seriously.

Example

WWE Legend The Undertaker Found Dead In Texas Home

It has been just under a week since the WWE Hall Of Famer Ultimate Warrior passed away so suddenly. We just received word that another legend will be joining him. Mark 'The Undertaker' Calaway was found in his Houston home dead late last night by his wife Michelle McCool.

Detailed Analysis

According to a report that is going viral via social media, renowned WWE star Mark 'The Undertaker' Calaway has been found dead in his Huston, Texas home. The report suggests that the Undertaker suffered a concussion after an earlier match and was sent home to rest where he later passed away in his sleep.

However, the claims in the report are nonsense. The Undertaker is alive and well. The report is a work of fiction concocted by Empire Sports, a website notorious for churning out utter nonsense disguised as news. Nothing published on the website should be taken seriously. The site bills itself as satirical, noting on its About Page:

Empire Sports is part news, part op-ed, (part, ahem, tabloid) and one hundred percent entertaining.We report on current events in sports. Sometimes we report on news that has yet to happen. Sometimes we report things we just WISH would happen.

Empire Sports is a satirical and entertainment website.Empire Sports uses invented names in all its stories, except in cases when public figures are being satirized. Any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental.

Empire Sports has been responsible for several fake reports that have gone viral in recent months. In February 2014, it published a fake news story claiming that American footballer Michael Vick had been hospitalized after being attacked by a Pit Bull. And, in March 2014, it released another bogus story that falsely claimed that NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon had confirmed that he is in a homosexual relationship with fellow race driver Stephen Rhodes.

And, this is not the first time that The Undertaker has been targeted in a death hoax. In fact, he has 'died' several times. In 2012, a widely circulated Facebook message made the false claim that The Undertaker had died of a neck injury while practicing with a WWE co-star. A link in the message took people to a rogue Facebook app. Another wrestler, John Cena has also been the target of death hoaxes in recent years.

In fact, posts falsely claiming that a celebrity has died commonly circulate on social media. Some are scams designed to trick people into installing rogue apps or participating in survey scams. Others are just silly hoaxes. And still others, including this one, originate from pseudo news sites that claim to be satirical.

Before passing on one of these viral death messages - or clicking any links that it contains - always check the veracity of the story via a credible news source. When a celebrity does die, the mainstream media always extensively covers it. Therefore, a search on Google News or another news portal should quickly reveal if a death story is true.

Last updated: April 17, 2014
First published: April 17, 2014
Written by Brett M. ChristensenAbout Hoax-Slayer